Occophobic Will to Power

Reprinted from Law and Freedom

In an article for American mind, Daniel Mahoney draws our attention to a recent book on the phenomenon of apophobia, dislike or even hatred of one’s own country or culture, which now seems so prevalent in Western academic and intellectual circles that it is almost an orthodoxy or necessity of acceptance. Intellectual class. Of course, no social trend or phenomenon is entirely new or has an undisputed starting point: for example, George Orwell drew attention to English self-hatred many years ago. But the spread of okophobia has been epidemic in recent years.

It seems to me that Mr. Mahni’s analysis can be further enhanced. The first question to ask is why okophobia should be so prevalent now. For this, I should temporarily answer that it is because of the widespread intellectualization of society as a result of the spread of tertiary education. Intellectuals have an inherent tendency to oppose all the opinions or feelings they receive, because there is no point in going to the trouble of being an intellectual if one thinks and feels what the vast majority of the people around think and feel. Love of country and inherited customs is so common that it seems almost normal or natural, and much of it is undeniable.

But intellectuals are supposed to reflect. It is their job, and they are inclined to reject the opinion they receive, because it is not wrong to say that it has been accepted. It goes without saying that the opinions obtained can be wrong and even wicked or evil, in which case the strictness of the intellectuals is necessary and respectable; But intellectuals themselves can propagate wrong or even evil opinions, in part The first We have to separate ourselves from the race of mankind.

Phobia in Orthophobia Fear of taking mankind for a simple run.

The second question about okophobia is old Good? Again, the psychological or social origin or function of an opinion should not be abstractly confused with its justification or correctness, but once it has been decided that an opinion is wrong or harmful in its effect, it is natural to ask where it came from. And what interests it serves.

In my opinion, okophobia is generally false, that is, innocent, as its cognitive, multiculturalism. oikophobe and multiculturalists are not really interested in another culture, only as a tool to beat their fellow citizens. The reason for their lack of real interest in other countries is not difficult to find and it is of very general application. The fact of the matter is that it is really difficult to get into a culture or subculture other than one’s own, despite being close to or adjacent to one’s own culture or subculture.

To give a small example: There is a pub far away from my home in England where people (mainly men) gather in their twenties and forties and socialize – or, as I am tempted to say – anti-social. They are drunk and drunk; Their loud enjoyment always seems to turn into violence; Their smiles hit me as hysterical, as if they were trying to prove to each other how deeply happy they were and how well they were having a good time; They have to shout what a nightmare to me; A large liquid-crystal screen relays football matches over their heads that they don’t watch, or only occasionally catch a glimpse of.

Why would anyone want to socialize like that, night after night, is more mysterious to me than a Buddhist monastery ceremony and much less aesthetically pleasing. I can’t claim to understand, or I haven’t really tried much to do it. And yet, these are my peers, with whom I share a lot, and whom, in other circumstances, I should easily understand.

The effort required to enter the culture of another language, let us understand, is not equal to the level of effort of its cuisine. Even close countries like England and France and their cultures have difficulty understanding each other; Moreover, their culture is so deep that it is possible to spend a lifetime trying to understand just one aspect of them.

In my experience, multiculturalists are not specifically mentioned for trying to enter or understand a culture other than their own. Planting a wind-chime in one’s own garden is not like studying Pali scripture; Buying an eccentric tile for your home decor is not the same as studying four schools of basic Islamic jurisprudence. Undoubtedly there are some talented people who are able to understand two or more different cultures; And in contrast to Western oikophobes, extraordinary scholars have long been interested in alien culture in Western society, perhaps unprecedented in human history: but they have always been a small minority. Ideologically, they are rarely multicultural or icophobic.

Interest in, admiration or love for foreign culture, even interest in a single alien culture is rare Orthophobia. The latter is not believed to be Lawrence Stern’s opening sentence Sentimental Journey It puts it, “they order these things better” and so we must imitate or copy. Okofob does not want Sharia or Aztec human sacrifice or any other foreign custom in his own country. What he wants is energy in it, and okophobia is a means to an end by legitimizing what he already thinks he has. He wants to replace one ruling class, as he sees fit, with another – his own.

Okofob, who at heart only wants change of rulers, also believes that his own society is strong enough to withstand any amount of devaluation. He doesn’t really believe that one day, his society – which, fortunately for him, gives him all his freedom – could collapse like a wooden house attacked by termites, a ruin from which something terrible could come out. If this ever happened, he would consider himself completely innocent of the consequences.